Council deflects helipad rent

THE State Government has requested Gympie Regional Council to start paying rent on the Rainbow Beach emergency helicopter landing site.

Council director of engineering Bob Fredman said in a report to council this week that council had constructed and maintained the site for Emergency Management Queensland at no charge and while the fee was only small at this stage, council needed to query “unfair” fees now, in case they increased in the future.

The State wants to charge $82.50 per year to bring the use of the site in line with new land regulations that come into effect in July this year.

A letter from the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) senior land officer for the south east region advised that the Gympie Regional Council’s permit to occupy the helipad was now in a rental category for charitable and non-commercial transport facility purpose and was a set rental type.

During the meeting councillors agreed to ask DERM to waive the fees for the site on the basis that it is a State Government responsibility, and council already bore all maintenance costs.